Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sensi Graves. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sensi, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started Sensi Graves Swim because I couldn’t find a bathing suit that worked. I was 23 years old and living in North Carolina working as a kiteboarding instructor. My bikini was my uniform and my recreation outfit. But I couldn’t find anything that made me feel awesome. I wanted swimwear that stayed put AND looked amazing. The options on the market at the time were limited. It was either string bikinis where my booty hung out and my boobs played peek-a-boo or some version of frumpy, ill-fitting and unflattering active swimwear. It didn’t look good or make me feel good in it. When I couldn’t find this perfect fusion of function and fashion, I created it myself. Enter Sensi Graves Swim, where we design active wear swim that stays put and looks awesome and more importantly empowers our customers to get out and do what they love. Having a product that they can rely on gives them the confidence they need on the water.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I used to not believe in myself. On the outside I live this really shiny life, traveling as a professional kiteboarder, running a sustainable swimwear line and now mentoring and speaking on confidence and mindset. But it wasn’t always this way. It took me over a decade to feel truly proud of who I am. It’s now my mission to share that journey with other humans and help them feel proud of who they are as well.

For the last 10 years, I’ve traveled around the world, competing professionally. I’ve gone to some amazing places, attended photoshoots around the world and kiteboarded with some pretty rad humans. I’m an athlete and outdoor adventure lights my fire. Today I give back to the community that’s given me so much by putting on women’s kiteboarding and wingfoiling camps and retreats.

I speak to inspire. My goal is to leave the audience inspired–like ready to jump out of their seats and get to work inspired. I want to make other humans feel confident, capable and like they can take on the world. Because you can.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes! Many, many books. I am a voracious reader and books are one of my favorite ways to grow as a human. A few of my favorites for business and mindset include “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek, “You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero, “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo, “We Should All Be Millionaries” by Rachel Rodgers and “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz.

Finding networking groups or incubators has also been huge for me. The Tory Burch Foundation is a networking and educational group for female entrepreneurs. They continue to provide a wealth of knowledge and have been hugely impactful on my career. Other mentoring groups include Built Oregon and Starveups (two Oregon-based startup groups). Finding community and support among like-minded entrepreneurs has been crucial in helping me stay motivated, compare notes and learn from those that have gone before me.

My final piece of best advice for entrepreneurs: invest in yourself! You are the best investment you can make. Whether that is a course, program, coaching or a book–keep investing in your self development because you are the problem AND the solution in your business.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve wanted to quit about 1000 times. One instance I remember in wanting to quit was during Our fourth production run of Sensi Swim. It was a nightmare. Since I didn’t have a background in manufacturing, the first three runs were interesting and, luckily, progressively less frustrating as I learned what to do and what not to do. By the fourth run, I was much more comfortable with my manufacturer and we had refined the process a lot. I went into our 2015 collection thinking it would be the best yet. Unfortunately, a step had been missed during the sizing process on a few of the different style bottoms. When the completed bottoms came out of production, they were TINY. The larges would fit a small, and the smalls… let’s not relive it.

I was beyond overwhelmed and discouraged, faced with a whole bunch of pieces that we’d have to send out to retailers and distribute online. It would have been easy to throw in the towel. However, I bit the bullet and called our retailers explaining the mishap, posted disclaimers on the website and dealt with customer complaints and inquiries over the next year. It was not a fun time but I stayed committed to the vision of the brand and kept the positivity going. Luckily, I’ve implemented more checks and we’ve fixed the problem moving forward. We’re constantly improving but I’m still learning every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sensigravesswim.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sensiswim
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sensi-graves/

Image Credits
Kylie Zarmati, Maria Orlova, Eric Duran